Policy, Regulations and Guidance

The Tribal Grants Streamlining Policy (Grants Policy Issuance 13-02), Effective November 1, 2013, is an internal policy that streamlines major aspects of the tribal grants cycle, including the application phase, workplan negotiation, reporting requirements, and performance partnership agreements. EPA worked closely with the Tribal Grants Council and made the draft policy available for Tribal Consultation to ensure tribal concerns and priorities were addressed. EPA expects the policy to enable both EPA and tribal grant recipients to manage tribal grants more effectively and efficiently.

EPA has amended Grants Policy Issuance 12-06, Timely Obligation, Award and Expenditure of EPA Grant Funds, to include provisions encouraging the use of multi-year workplans that are aligned with EPA’s new two-year National Program Manager guidance process. These provisions apply to EPA-State workplan negotiations for specified grant programs beginning with the FY 16 negotiation cycle. Developed by a State-EPA Workgroup, the amended GPI should benefit EPA and State personnel by streamlining workplan negotiations and reducing administrative burden.

EPA DBE Program
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program is an outreach, education and goaling program designed to increase and encourage the utilization and participation of Minority Business Enterprises and Women’s Business Enterprises (MBE/WBE) in procurements funded by EPA assistance agreements. The Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) establishes policy and provides procedural guidance for the DBE Program.

Negotiated Fair Share Goals
In an effort to ensure that Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) receive a "fair share" of procurement opportunities funded by EPA financial assistance agreements, it is required that all financial assistance recipients negotiate objectives/goals for MBE/WBE utilization.

Reporting
Some EPA financial assistance recipients may be required to report to the Agency on their efforts to comply with the DBE Program requirements using EPA Form 5700-52A, as detailed in PN-2014-G02.

Office of Small Business Programs
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), under the Office of the Administrator, advocates and fosters opportunities for direct and indirect partnerships, contracts, and sub-agreements for small and socio-economically disadvantaged businesses.

The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) is a cooperative initiative
among federal agencies and institutional recipients of federal funds. It
was established to increase research productivity by streamlining the administrative
process and minimizing the administrative burden on principal investigators
while maintaining effective stewardship of federal funds.

It is EPA policy to promote competition in the award of assistance agreements
to the maximum extent practicable. When assistance agreements are awarded
competitively, it is EPA policy that the competitive process be fair and
open and that no applicant receive an unfair competitive advantage.

Recipients of EPA grants and cooperative agreements, will likely need
to buy supplies, equipment, and services to complete the project. This
guidance will help you meet EPA requirements when making such necessary
purchases.